GrimmNel: Three Epochs
by Shinsoria
Summary: They say that the first meeting is a coincidence, the second a necessity and the third is destiny. Story centered around Grimmjow as he dealt with losses and his feelings that were foreign yet requited. Grimmjow and Neliel. Rated T for swearing.
1. Zero

She was the Tercera Espada and he was only the Sexta.

* * *

The very first time he had laid gaze on her was during the inaugural Espada assembly, long before she was exiled and replaced by Tier Halibel. He remembered inklings of her, those small bits of memories were indelible and she was etched deeply in his mind. She had been staring in reverence at Aizen's daunting form then, her movements gracious as she listened intently with a sip of tea every now and then.

The Neliel he knew was high and mighty.

Grimmjow was never an avid listener nor was he interested in Aizen's strategies and expedients; he was merely there for the chance to destroy, to kill. It was the appearance of Neliel that had diverted Grimmjow's attention; there weren't many Vasto Lordes that were as verbose as her. Neliel had given her opinions countless times, proving herself to not only be a female warrior but a sagacious strategist capable of planning far ahead.

Grimmjow was beginning to understand why Nnoitra, the Octava at that time, was extremely irked by her.

* * *

The interactions amongst the Espadas were sparse, communication was limited other than the necessity. Perhaps it was the inherent nature of hollows to be withdrawn to themselves or the superiority complex many of them held.

Stark was simply lazy, the very embodiment of sloth, and he had spent his free time slumbering in his quarters. Barragan had unceremoniously labelled everyone as insignificant insects, unworthy of his words. Ulquiorra, the impassive man, had callously called the lesser ranks trash numerous times. The Espadas were simply this cordial to begin with, except Neliel. She had treated everyone with kindness that was foreign to their race.

Neliel was a rational and just person; a woman who regarded bloodlust with disdain, refusing to unsheathe her sword without a reason. The Tercera was the Sun that Hueco Mundo never had, and she did not belong with these monstrosities.

Sometimes, Grimmjow wondered how did a peace-loving Menos ever evolved into Vasto Lorde.


	2. One

It was the end of yet another cumbersome meeting and Grimmjow was trudging back to his quarters. As he sauntered along the broad and cold hallway, the sound of laughter drifted to the panther's ears. He already knew whose spiritual energy it had belonged to but the laughter had piqued his curiosity nonetheless. He wandered over to the edge of Las Noches, the clear bell-like giggles directing him to the location.

The scintillating turquoise hair in the near distance was a stark contrast to the gray landscape of Hueco Mundo; Grimmjow immediately located the perpetrators who were making merriments. Dondochakka and Pesche, the loyal fraccions of Neliel, were seated with their beloved mistress on the endless sand of Hueco Mundo; the three of them were surrounded with baskets of different sizes.

Neliel sensed Grimmjow as well, turning to wave at the strikingly blue haired man with a large smile plastered on her face, her obnoxious actions slightly irking the latter.

"Grimmjow!" Neliel waved vigorously, a sense of relief washing over her as she caught sight of the Sexta; it was the first time they had spoken out of the Night Palace, but Neliel had more than welcome anybody who wasn't the Octava.

Grimmjow simply _tch_ -ed at Neliel's histrionic and albeit too jovial action; honestly he wondered what was going on in Neliel's mind. Was the Tercera simply too complacent with her fighting abilities that she was spending time in leisure like this?

As Grimmjow began to make his leave in contempt, Neliel began to wave frantically, beckoning the Sexta over. The man, however, had lost his interest. It was definitely more interesting to provoke Ulquiorra, than to have a picnic with Neliel. Activities involving blood were much preferred by Grimmjow.

"Damn it, Grimmjow!" Neliel sonido-ed behind Grimmjow, grabbing his arm rather violently as she half-dragged him back to her circle. Dondochakka and Pesche quietly sighed to themselves; their Mistress was more than a handful, always inviting the unwanted.

Grimmjow widened his eyes in surprise, cursing instinctively as he tried to shove her away, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"You are rude." Neliel pulled Grimmjow, her strength overwhelming his as he struggled helplessly against her tough grip. "You don't turn down a lady's invitation, you know."

"…A lady?" Grimmjow raised his eyebrows mockingly, "But I don't see any." His comeback came rather intuitively, a teasing jab at the higher ranked Espada as he grinned at his own wits.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, you are the most _ill-mannered_ , _uncouth_ , _insolent_ arrancar ever." Neliel enunciated every adjective with force, flinging the said man into the sand as her fraccions scrambled away in fear.

"…You bitch." Grimmjow pushed himself out of mire as he belched loudly, groaning as he spluttered a mouthful of white sand. "What the hell do you want?"

Usually the weaker arrancars would scatter immediately upon the murderous glint in Grimmjow's eyes but Neliel stared down at the man with defiance. She crossed her arms and glared at the panther, silencing him before he could even begin his tirade of vulgarities.

"Well," Neliel softened into a smile, her attitude changing drastically as she ushered her trembling fraccions back in place, "Let's all take a seat and have a bite!" Then, the Tercera began to distribute plates of food from within the baskets, a colourful yet suspicious array of queer-looking objects. "It's always better to share!"

"…Won't you have one too, _Grimmjow_?" Neliel gazed at the man, a dangerous aura emanating off the Tercera as she took a stick of dango and placed it in front of Grimmjow's face. It was obvious that there wasn't any room for rejection.

Grimmjow gulped at the pressing reiatsu of Neliel and settled into a comfortable position at once. "Just this once, tch." He snatched the sweets out from her gloved hand and took a bite gingerly.

"What the hell is this…?" Grimmjow stared at the sweets incredulously, it was surprisingly delicious as he took bite after bites quickly.

It wasn't a norm for arrancars or shinigamis alike to feast on food since the two races did not need human food to survive in their spiritual bodies, and it was merely out of interest that one would eat such delicacies. However, Gin's tendencies for food fare had affected some of the arrancars as well.

"Gin gave it to me, it's called dango," Neliel explained as she began to bring out more plates of said sweets, displaying the extravagant meal in front of her fellow hollows. "I saw him having a bite of these and I was intrigued. Then he went and got me a wide variety of dango, isn't Gin the nicest?"

Grimmjow simply tch-ed again, he couldn't believe that Neliel had held the snake-like man in such high regards. Neliel was such a peculiarity amongst the Espada; she was fortunate that she had evolved to be stronger than most of them, if she was a weaker arrancar or even a lower ranked Espada, there were no doubts that she would be killed eventually.

The group ravaged through the food soon after, with Dondochakka and Pesche making some incomprehensible jokes that only Neliel could understand and laughed along.

After a long while when the four had finally satiated their stomachs, Grimmjow asked gruffly, "Why did you ask me to join you guys?"

"You were watching." Neliel pointed out as if it was the simplest reason.

"That doesn't mean I wanted to be with you, and _you_ ," Grimmjow growled as a drunk Pesche started to make himself contented on the Sexta's shoulders, the Fraccion was holding a flask of sake rather precariously.

"Oi," Grimmjow continued as Neliel made no attempt to explain herself, "You better be careful."

Then just as abrupt as that, Grimmjow stood up and made his way back to his quarters; however not before giving Pesche a rough push, which sent him flying a few meters away and an unexpectedly gentle pat to the Tercera's head.

"Thanks."

It was a quiet mumble but Neliel smiled to herself, having heard his gratitude.

Even the Panther could be tamed by the Centaur.

* * *

Days passed by, with Grimmjow nodding in acknowledgement to Neliel whenever they came across each other in the winding passages of Las Noches.

A few encounters had Grimmjow, flanked by his fraccions, inviting Neliel and her eccentric subordinates on hunt for the lesser adjuchas as a mean of training as well as to quench his insatiable thirst for battles.

"No." Neliel had always rejected his offers politely. She refused to participate in meaningless massacres unless Aizen had called for them. But she knew Grimmjow was smarter than Nnoitra, drawing the line between killing and allowing oneself to be killed. There was no need for her to tag along.

Nnoitra, the Octava, meanwhile, had also been picking fights with Neliel, screaming incessant nonsense about masculinity and male chauvinism. Grimmjow would always take a stand in the shadows, watching over the two as he watched how Neliel would always effortlessly bring Nnotira back down to his place. It was amusing, a sort of sick entertainment for Grimmjow whenever he saw Nnoitra getting thrashed pitifully.

There was also this one strange feeling that Grimmjow couldn't quite understand, _relief_ , when he affirmed that Neliel was unharmed from the meaningless squabbles with Nnoitra. He knew that Hueco Mundo wouldn't do without this Sun.

Nnoitra's relentless challenges were unnerving Grimmjow, more so than Neliel and he was getting annoyed that Neliel had to spend most of her time fending off that fiend. It hadn't even concerned him but Grimmjow had offered more than a few times to clean Nnoitra off Las Noches for her.

But of course, Grimmjow's proposal was only met by Neliel's preach about protecting the ten Espadas and her regarding Nnoitra's attacks as simply harmless and friendly. Neliel's nonchalance was frustrating the Sexta a lot, and these inexplicable feelings that he had were vexing himself even further.

* * *

One day, Grimmjow and Neliel were dispatched on Aizen's orders to eradicate a nest of rogue Menos on the outskirt of Las Noches East Wing. It was a rather easy task for the two Espadas. Neliel and Grimmjow's fighting forms had complemented each other perfectly.

Grimmjow had been hurling _ceros_ aggressively at the Menos, and Neliel would be cleaning up the ones that had escaped his attacks with a clean slice of her sword. The two worked in perfect synchronization, his spiritual energy overwhelming while Neliel demonstrated her impeccable swordsmanship.

Before long, the two stood in the dissipating carcasses of hollows with Neliel frowning. "Why won't you let me fight too?" Neliel had noticed Grimmjow was taking it upon himself, fighting the main bulk of the Menos, refusing to let Neliel take the lead.

"I figured that you would be tired." Grimmjow turned and began his walk back to the palace, missing the small smile that had bloomed on Neliel's face. So the Panther had noticed that she had been fighting Nnoitra prior to their mission.

"You seriously don't need me to remove that insect from your sight?" Grimmjow asked again, his voice was gruff but it had an undertone of concern that only Neliel could notice.

"No, but thank you, Grimmjow."

"Tch, stupid woman, don't regret."

Neliel elbowed Grimmjow at the insult, only to be met by yet another strong pat on the head by the latter.

It would be the last time in a long while the two conversed.

* * *

Grimmjow had been sent on a mission to find Vasto Lordes in the deep recesses of Hueco Mundo, a punishment for the Espada and his fraccions for destroying a group of potential numeros in Las Noches' vicinity. It was out of boredom that Grimmjow and Shawlong had slaughtered the innocent arrancars, and it had earned the whole group a heavy penalty.

When Grimmjow came back to Las Noches, the spiritual energy of Neliel and his fraccions had completely disappeared from his sensory. Grimmjow's heart thumped, there was a bad feeling churning in the pits of his stomach. He should have insisted.

Grimmjow went to find Nnoitra at once, a victorious grin plastered on his lips as the Octava greeted the Panther in obnoxity. "My, my, who do we have here?"

"…Where's Neliel?"

"Gotten awfully close to that scum, haven't you?" Nnoitra smirked, his fingers playing with the menacing blades of his weapon. "What exactly did she _offer_ you, eh?"

"I am asking you, where is she?"

Grimmjow could hardly contain his anger and Nnoitra's gloating indifference was pushing him to the brink of destruction.

"I don't know. Your bitch is, maybe… _dead_?"

That single word had sent the Sexta into a rampage; Grimmjow had engaged Nnoitra in anger, his Panthera immediately unsheathed as his blade slices the towering man's chest.

If there was anyone who should end Neliel, it should be _him,_ Grimmjow. Grimmjow had always wondered how he would fare in a battle with Neliel and yet it was her unwavering smile and determination that had made him controlled his bloodlust in front of her.

Grimmjow had come to tolerate the Tercera, even to take a liking to her. But yet this wretched insect in front of him had taken his prey, his Sun, away from him.

Nnoitra's quarters in Las Noches collapsed under their attacks; brute force against raw fists, blade against blade. It was a battle between the Sexta and Octava. Ceros were fired wildly, and it was apparent that Nnoitra was on the losing end. Before Grimmjow could hack Nnoitra cleanly in half, Ulquiorra appeared to stop both of them, effectively trapping the _trashes_ with his overwhelming reiatsu.

The incident was then made known to Aizen but he showed no sign of dictating justice. He merely brushed Neliel off as a missing Espada, dismissing her disappearance as an unfortunate event. There were no signs of concern or sympathy at the former Tercera's downfall, simply labelling her as chess piece that he no longer have a use for. It was only through Gin's straight-faced expression during the meeting that Grimmjow had found some solace in; it was evident that only the two of them had saw Neliel as more than an acquaintance.

Aizen quickly replaced Neliel's seat with Halibel, yet another woman, much to Nnoitra's chagrin. The self-proclaimed ruler had also decided to gift the current Espadas an increase in their power and upon much contemplation; Aizen had promoted Nnoitra over Grimmjow to the Quinta, declaring that Nnoitra had more self-control than Grimmjow.

It was immensely infuriating for Grimmjow, watching in stiff silence as Nnoitra climbed a rank above him and watching the latter gloating in front of him with stronger powers. Aizen had rendered Grimmjow helpless and he was beyond vexatious.

Grimmjow had wanted to kill Nnoitra on numerous occasions but Ulquiorra had warned that if he would attempt such actions within Las Noches again, he would be demoted to the Privaron Espadas.

It was then Gin had offered a piece of advice, for Grimmjow to bid his time as he trained, to become stronger and more powerful before he could take on the now Quinta.

With the disappearance of her childlike smile and naivety, the Sun had ceased to shine in the dark palace of Las Noches. Neliel's departure had made Grimmjow sank even deeper in destruction, albeit unknowingly, the Panther now a personification of bloodlust and savagery.

There were still times when Grimmjow would sit on the very top of Las Noches, his eyes wandering and searching far for the woman with beautiful locks of turquoise.

"In the end, I became the very beast you had cautioned me about."


	3. Second

The stigma of the child bore a striking resemblance to the Espada he once knew.

But Grimmjow couldn't care less about that now, he was more interested in slaughtering the man in front of him. His emotions were long replaced by destruction, the aspect of death he ruled. Even if it was indeed the Neliel he knew, she couldn't be clinging to the Shinigami he had so despised, much less in a pathetic child form.

The battle with Kurosaki Ichigo was filled with blood and rage. Grimmjow was in rampage and his power was terrifyingly destructive. Panthera was released, and yet, the Shinigami had overwhelmed him in the end. As he lay on the sand, soaked in the acrid scent of blood, he cursed at himself for losing so pitifully.

Grimmjow was incapacitated, not by Ichigo, but by the despicable Nnoitra who had appeared from nowhere. He could be long dead, had Ichigo not been struggling to protect his defenseless self. Nnoitra's large twin blades had cut him deep, the steel sinking into his flesh, rendering him incapable of regeneration as the Panther lay immobile on the soft sand.

Grimmjow knew the end was near, it wasn't long but his pride refused to let him die. He was still burning with resentment, he refused to give up, not until he was victorious. He had yet to kill Kurosaki Ichigo and that detestable Nnoitra Gilga.

The sound of battle was in the distance, he could barely make sight of Ichigo deflecting and attempting to cut Nnoitra, the Shinigami was coughing up puddles of blood at every turn. Then he heard Nnoitra's words, his words about ending Neliel.

"Fuck…" Grimmjow cursed under his breath, watching in disgust as Nnoitra sauntered forward to deliver the final blow to Ichigo, listing his tirade of achievements. Neliel, the former Tercera, was being reduced to a pathetic snot soaked child, her fallen self was his finest work of art. It was unbearable, to listen to that man speaking of his despicable acts high and mightily.

Then, an all too familiar reiatsu saturated him. Grimmjow turned, his eyes widening as he saw Neliel standing protectively in front of Ichigo. Neliel, the adult self that he was used to, began to counterattack Nnoitra, her reiatsu overpowering the latter. It was nostalgic, to witness Neliel and Nnoitra battle once more. This time, however, was a death match.

"Stupid brat…" Grimmjow murmured, cursing at the small child who had turned out to be the same Neliel, "This time… you better not lose."

Then, Grimmjow closed his eyes.

* * *

After what seemed to be an eternity, when Grimmjow was finally getting used to the infinite darkness, he was rudely awakened by a slobber of saliva covering his body. It was slimy and it had stunk. Grimmjow widened his eyes, attempting to glare at the culprit, only to be met by more viscous liquid dripping onto him from a very large mouth. It was like a waterfall, but it wasn't pretty.

"Grimmsjows!" The small voice grinned as the Panther came to his consciousness.

"What the fuck…" Grimmjow gasped as he tried to wipe away the oncoming fluid before noticing that most of his wounds were closing up already.

"GRIMMSJOWS!" Nel, who had been reverted back into her child form, tackled him, clinging fervently onto his opened chest. "YOTHS ARTH ALIVETHS!"

Grimmjow cursed once more, the liquid was now an insolvable layer on his skin. He sat up, trying to clear his head, meeting the faces of Dondochakka, Pesche and a rather small Neliel. Was he, perhaps, truly dead now?

"The hell…" Grimmjow stared down at the former Espada, who was embracing him tightly by the neck. He was having a rather complicated mixture of feelings, relief and glad that Neliel was alive but he was annoyed at having this _child-form_ Neliel sticking onto him. He was never good with people, much less children.

He pushed Nel away, swatting the child away rather uncourteously as he attempted to wipe himself clean once again. Grimmjow needed time to adjust, his head still ached painfully.

"Grimmsjows hasth beeth sleepingth forth a loongg timeth," Nel, although regaining her memories, still retained her child's way of speaking with lisps, "Allow Nel to informth yous everythinths!"

It had taken every ounce of self-control that Grimmjow had ever possessed to not kill the innocent arrancar in front of him.

' _It's the Neliel that you have been wanting to meet for a long time_ ,' He reasoned to himself inwardly, cursing once more as the other half of him spoke, _'This stupid kid… how could she be the same Neliel... The way she speaks is so…. Annoying!'_

With Neliel gone, Grimmjow had lost more of his humane part yet; it was a well-known fact that he was the most short-tempered, brutal and impatient Espada amongst the current ten. He deserved an applaud for tolerating the current child Neliel, and for keeping his arm to himself and not stabbing her through her abdomen.

"Areth youth LISTENINTHS?" The child Nel threw a fallen twig at the distracted Sexta, hitting his head harshly on point, earning a murderous glare in return. Now that the child Nel had remembered her true identity, she became even more haughty and brave when addressing the others. At times, she had even forgotten she no longer held the same powers as before.

"Neliel-sama…" Pesche stuttered, choking as he imagined Grimmjow violently dissecting his beloved Mistress in pieces. Dondochakka immediately took Nel into his arms protectively, "Don'tcha try to touch our Neliel-sama!"

"Yeah, yeah." Grimmjow twitched in irritation, sighing loudly in defeat at their antics; he wouldn't do anything to them, of course. "Listening. Las Noches is no more. The Espadas are no more."

The Panther then stood up and made his way to leave the group, deciding that the information he received was sufficient for now. Most importantly, staying in the vicinity any longer would be detrimental to both his mental health and Neliel's physical health.

"Whereth arth yous goingth?!" Neliel screamed at the retreating back, trying to escape from Dondochakka's grasp as she reached over for Grimmjow's arm. "You're stilths injureths!"

"Shut up bitch," Grimmjow grumbled, his patience waning at her shrilly voice. He knew she had taken a liking to Ichigo and it had irked him a lot; he was aware that he had owed Ichigo his life as well but his pride wouldn't allow him to stay inferior.

Grimmjow knew he needed to train, to protect the remnants of Hueco Mundo, to protect the frail Neliel as she was now.

"I'm going to train," Grimmjow declared loudly, flexing his dormant muscles, "I would have long killed you..."

"If I hadn't liked you so much in the past…"

His sentence trailed off abruptly as he sonido-ed away. Nel heard it and she smiled to herself; even though Grimmjow probably meant that the person he adored was her former self, she was still happy.

"Grimmsjowth…"

* * *

A few days later, the trio, together with their forgotten pet, was greeted by Urahara Kisuke. The former scientist of Soul Society had offered something, a special armband, for Neliel to recover her true form.

"Neliel-chan, would you like to become your adult self again? It won't do if Hueco Mundo is ever to be invaded, you know."

"But for some reason…" Urahara continued, surveying the perimeter as he commented quietly, "Surprisingly there are no hollows around you… it seems that you are well protected, Neliel-chan."

"Wouldn't you like to give thanks in a different way? Fighting by his side instead?"


	4. Third

"Grimmjow!" Neliel, now in her adult form, was searching high and low in the infinite desert of Hueco Mundo, looking for her fellow Vasto Lorde. She figured Grimmjow would be near them, since his reiatsu was emanating within the vicinity but the man was nowhere to be found. It was almost as if he made it a point to keep his distance from them these past few months.

Pesche and Dodonchakka were following their mistress, looking for the Panther as well. They had suggesting on alliancing with Halibel, the current ruler of Las Noches but the child form Nel had mentioned that she was afraid of the Tres Bestias- Halibel's fraccions.

Nonetheless, Halibel was determined in uniting all the hollows in Hueco Mundo, and had even offered Neliel and her fraccions their old quarters back in Las Noches. Neliel accepted Halibel's invitation, but there was something else she had to do first.

Hence, Pesche and Dodonchakka decided to comply with her will to stay in the outskirt of Las Noches- apparently finding Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was the important alternative. Now that Aizen was imprisoned in Soul Society and Nnoitra Gilga had fallen in battle, the two fraccions were more at ease travelling in Hueco Mundo.

The trio was on a cliff, and Neliel was contemplating whether or not to delve into the dark forest of Menos down below, which had seemed a little intimidating to the two weaker arrancars.

"Stupid panther." Neliel huffed to herself, kicking the heels of her boots in frustration, sending a cluster of sand and scattered hollow bones flying down into the forest.

As soon as the bones disappeared from sight, the impact elicited a loud curse.

"FUCK!"

Apparently Grimmjow was resting in the forest below, as a red cero was fired up at the intruders in response at once. Neliel deflected the cero, protecting her fraccions as she happily screamed for Grimmjow again. She had never been this happy to be attacked, Pesche noted, was his Mistress truly a masochist?

Neliel jumped down immediately, snapping a few branches here and there, landing onto Grimmjow's chest, the Panther breaking her fall much to his pain.

"Bitch…" Grimmjow winced at her weight, trying to push her off, "I was sleeping…"

"Grimmjow!" Neliel was back to her old self, although she became less restrained in her actions and displaying affection. Ever since the hierarchy of the Espadas was demolished, there was no longer any need for her to keep the distance from her fellow arrancars.

Neliel began to cuddle Grimmjow with fondness, embracing his neck albeit a little too tightly, choking the man with her firm hold.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Grimmjow groaned, rubbing his temples; he could never rest properly with her around. He attempted to fire yet another cero but the sudden intimacy stopped him short. Neliel was practically plastering her face against his and he became embarrassingly aware of how close she was.

"BITCH!" Grimmjow yelled, flustered at their distance, and Neliel was momentarily flung off. "Oh, and you are back to your old form."

"What was that for, Grimmjow?" Neliel looked indignant at how Grimmjow had mercilessly pushed her off. She settled beside Grimmjow, rubbing her sore arm. Then she began to explain about her armband, pointing at the device that allowed her to transform between her two forms at will.

Grimmjow didn't reply, his head was still turned away from her, a suspicious speck of red creeping on his cheeks. That, however, didn't escape her notice. Neliel's sadistic self came into play, a small smirk playing on her lips, "What, now that I am back as my adult self… could it be that you are shy? At the sight of a lady?"

"THE HELL?" Grimmjow glared at Neliel, his voice loud at the accusation. Now, the lady part was ridiculous. There was a long silence before Grimmjow started to cackle madly. "My answer still stays the same, stupid woman. I see no lady."

"And… You are still as obnoxious as ever." Neliel frowned, standing up and grabbing Grimmjow's right arm. "Let's go!"

"Go..?" Grimmjow asked in genuine curiosity. He had been avoiding Neliel and his fraccions on purpose, deciding to protect them in his own brusque way. But now Neliel was back as herself, to his relief, perhaps it was indeed the time for them to dominate Hueco Mundo?

"Of course not!" Neliel frowned, reading his mind at once. "We are not going to kill anything at all. Just saying hello to Halibel!"

* * *

It was a strange sight.

Grimmjow's arm was being tightly locked by Neliel, who had him held practically in a death lock. Grimmjow had wanted to escape; he wasn't keen to visit Las Noches again, especially now that half of the palace had been devastated. It had reminded him of how Aizen had ruthlessly oppressed them and he hated that man, even if he was the one who gave them power.

There was Ulquiorra's presence as well. His fading reiatsu still lingered in the air, a choking hold on the compound and it was obvious to all that the Cuarto had died, bringing most of Las Noches down with him.

Pesche and Dodonchakka trailed a little behind the two, Grimmjow's murderous intentions hadn't been comfortable for the fraccions. From the look of the smile on Neliel's face, it would have looked as if the two were in a lovey-dovey relationship, with their arms linked and all.

Upon nearer inspection, however, one could clearer hear the stream of vulgarities from Grimmjow's crude mouth and feel the oppressive reiatsu of Neliel.

But, all was well.

* * *

Halibel was more than glad to see her fellow Espadas alive, a small smile betraying her usual impassive demeanor. The Tres Bestias weren't keen to see Grimmjow, in contrast, with the four of them engaging in a heated banter soon after.

As Halibel discussed the state of affairs in Hueco Mundo with Neliel, Grimmjow was uninterested, deciding to recluse himself back in his former quarters. He wondered what the two former Terceras were talking about, their conversation getting a little too lengthy for his likes.

Grimmjow was strolling along the now empty corridor, the palace almost void of life as he came across two female arrancars. Loly and Menoly, he noted in contempt, before dismissing them as he walked past the two weaker fraccions.

It was fine by the two arrancars, immediately slinking back into the shadows when Grimmjow sauntered past; they were obviously no match for the Espadas, as Yammy had maliciously shown them their places. It was only with Halibel's generosity that they could continue residence in Las Noches. After all, Loly and Menoly had insisted that Aizen would be their one and only ruler.

Then, Neliel came bounding into Grimmjow's quarters, speaking rather energetically to the Sexta regarding the search and recruitment for more arrancars. The Sexta was obviously dispassionate about it, as long as he was able to fight Ichigo again, the world could perish for all he care. However, he allowed Neliel to prattle on and on, as long as she didn't start screaming or crying.

"Alright," Neliel declared, her throat hoarse as she finished speaking. Then, she began to make herself home on Grimmjow's bed. "I shall take a respite."

"…What?" Grimmjow grumbled, looking a little astonished as Neliel's eyes started to close as soon as she declared it was her nap time. She had duly ignored the owner's complaints, innocent and naive as she fell into deep sleep on Grimmjow's makeshift bed.

"Damn it, woman."

She could die, Grimmjow noted, she was so vulnerable now.

Grimmjow cursed once more, and he took his place beside Neliel in defeat, sleeping as sound as his companion.

Halibel was watching the two silently at the doorway, a sad smile as she murmured quietly to herself. "This is the way it should be. There were too many sacrifices in our previous war."

* * *

Days passed by, the night sky of Hueco Mundo still as vast and intimidating as the only moon illuminated the castle.

Grimmjow and Neliel trained together, having sparring sessions every now and then. Neliel's presence was becoming more tolerable for Grimmjow and for someone who was the embodiment of destruction, he was becoming more and more human.

It was then Grimmjow decided that it wouldn't do, he was losing himself around Neliel. He had to leave to train by himself, but not without a promise with Neliel that he would not kill mindlessly and to find more surviving arrancars for Halibel.

It was also during his absence that Las Noches came under attack. Halibel was captured while the Quincies stormed the grounds. Grimmjow had disappeared into the oblivion of Hueco Mundo and Neliel decided to seek Ichigo's help in her child form.

Then, Soul Society came under drastic attack too. The Quincy Army was overpowering both the Arrancars and Shinigamis alike and the world was at the brink of destruction. Las Noches had fallen and Soul Society was getting decimated.

Urahara Kisuke enlisted their help and Neliel had to search for Grimmjow once again in the vast desert of Hueco Mundo. This time round, the Panther was easier to be located, almost as if he was waiting for Neliel to find him.

Grimmjow was more than keen to rip Kurosaki Ichigo to shreds, and Neliel had to remind him incessantly that their enemy was the Quincies. In the end, Grimmjow's challenge to Ichigo was reprimanded by Neliel. It was an affront to his pride when Neliel started to speak rather arrogantly of her higher rank. Tercera or Sexta didn't matter anymore, now that Aizen wasn't the ruler of Hueco Mundo. Grimmjow was sure, of course, that with his powers now he was more than capable of defeating both Neliel and Ichigo.

In the end, Grimmjow escaped from the group, deciding to search for the enemy on his own. It was getting too vexing to be around both Neliel and Ichigo. He was rather unhappy, to watch Neliel clinging onto Ichigo so tightly and addressing the Shinigami with such endearment. He was irritated that he couldn't fight Ichigo as well, but with the current predicament, it was a taken that the Quincies were the utmost priority.

As Grimmjow became trapped in the expanding poison ball, having helped Urahara to take down the seemingly invincible enemy, he cursed at the situation he was in again.

"Damn it, I'm not going to die here!"

Grimmjow wasn't going to die.

Not without Neliel choosing him over that loathsome Shinigami.

Especially now that he was motivated to live.

"Neliel…"

He knew he couldn't die just yet.

Meanwhile, Neliel was bidding for the right time, to save them, to save _him._

 **End.**

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A/N: Hopefully I got the timeline right, tying right into Manga Chapter 666. I totally ship Neliel and Grimmjow and I'm currently waiting for a scene where the duo could fight together!

Please R&R. Thanks for reading :)


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